


He Knew He Fucked Up

by AlternativeHorizon



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: 2017-2018 NHL Season, Building trust, Cheating, F/M, Gen, Male Friendship, POV Multiple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25335355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlternativeHorizon/pseuds/AlternativeHorizon
Summary: You can be the best of friends but usually you don't interact much with your teammates on the offseason. Everyone go back to their homes and see their family. Jamie usually did it as well, but this offseason he didn't. He didn't allow himself to come back home. He needed to talk to Tyler. He fucked up.
Relationships: Jamie Benn/Original Female Character(s), Tyler Seguin/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, it was originally published on Tumblr and I decided to start transferring my works also to this site.  
> it was published on the 21/2/2018, and here's a link [chapter one](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/post/171131095913/he-knew-he-fucked-up)
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it!

You can be the best of friends but usually you don't interact much with your teammates on the offseason. Everyone go back to their home and see their family. Jamie usually did it as well, but this offseason he didn't. He didn't allow himself to come back home. He needed to talk to Tyler. He fucked up.

After the long months of not hearing from Tyler, Tyler finally came back to Dallas. Jamie was standing in front of Tyler front door. He was scarred, and there was more trembling going through his body now than even the gold winning game in Sochi (and he was a mess then). Eventually he knocked and waited. The way that Tyler's face dropped once he saw Jamie broke Jamie all over again. Tyler moved and allowed him to enter. 

The room was full with an awkward silence. They never been like that, even in Tyler's first day in Dallas the conversation between them was flowing. Jamie wanted to open the conversation and his prepared speech but Tyler beat him to it. 

"Jamie, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear your apology. I'm willing to forgive you and we can go back to what we used to be."

Jamie was ready to fight, so it was overwhelmingly surprising. 

"How can you be okay with it?" Jamie wanted to know because it truly baffled him. If it was happening to him he wouldn't have been so calm. 

"I thought about it during the offseason. I'm not angry at you and we're cool. So please let drop it, deal?"

"But…how can you forgive me?"

"I can and I am, so we're cool?"

Jamie was an idiot. His brain was screaming to him "Take the damn forgiveness you idiot!" but at the same time he couldn't. He hurt Tyler, and Tyler's hurt expression is the only thing that prevents him from accepting the forgiving.

"Tyler, you caught your girlfriend cheating on you with one of your best friends. How can you forgive so easily?"

Tyler wasn't looking at him. Jamie could see the hurt taking over his face even as he answered quietly "Jamie you did a mistake, and I know you regretted it. So let's do the both of us a favor and let's forget it. We have this season to focus on; there is no place to this personal drama. We both dealt with it our own way and it's better if we put it behind us. I am sincere when I say that I forgive you."

It was true. Jamie was so sorry and full with guilt. He was dealing with a rather harsh breakup and he was hammered when he slept with Tyler's girlfriend. And now he finally felt better. He and Tyler hugged it out and he was feeling slightly better about it.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumbler. you can check it on [here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/post/174530180778/he-knew-he-fucked-up-part-2)

When Tyler said that they both handled it in their own way he wasn't kidding. His way was to go to his house, pack a bag, and just drive. He wanted to get the hell out of there. He will admit that at first he was feeling betrayed by Jamie. He would have never thought that he will be capable of doing such a thing. But, as he sobered up and was able to think about this situation more logically he knew that he wasn't mad at Jamie. He honest to god wasn't mad at Jamie. 

Who he was angry at was his girlfriend. How could she cross that line and seduce Jamie. Tyler knows that she seduced Jamie, because he knows him and drunk or no drunk he will never do such a thing. That's what also made him to break up with her. He left her a break up text and then he blocked her number. He knew that they were over for good. But with Jamie it was a different story.

Even though he didn't hold it against Jamie he wasn't ready to see him again. He knew that by the end of the offseason he will be okay to meet Jamie, but right now he wasn't. So, instead of coming back to Dallas or Brampton he just continued to drive. He didn't really have a plan in mind but he went to places. At some of the towns he hanged out for a while. He pretty much kept a low profile during those months but he just wanted to get away for a while, until he was ready.

Now it was the end of the offseason and he was back in Dallas. He didn't expect to have this conversation that early with Jamie, but he is glad that that's out of the way. He had better things on his mind. He needed to clean his place and rearrange it. He needed to take back the dogs from his buddy that was gracious enough to take them for the summer. But most importantly he needed to deal with the mass of a life that he has right now.

+++

At the following week he had visits from his teammates. Jamie told them about what happened when he couldn't get a hold of Tyler and got was worried. Because of Jamie his family also learned that instead of a single "we broke up" situation he had a high school telenovela plot. He couldn't stand their pity eyes. He knew that they treat him like a fragile flower, like if they'll press a little, tears will burst out of him. But honestly he was okay. He wasn't spectacular, but he was okay. 

He knew that all of them will shake out of it pretty soon, but it still sucks. But their reactions don't come close to Jamie's. Jamie still hesitates when it comes to the both of them, and it needs to go away fast. The season is right around the corner. They don't have much time until training camp start, and then there's the preseason and then there's the season. Tyler is adamant about not letting this off-the-ice issue to bleed into the ice. They need to pull their shit together before that.

This is why Tyler prosecuted a game plan. He pretty much aggressively was at Jamie's heel. At first Jamie was wary of it but they were friends to begin with so in no time they were back to usual business. As for the others, when they saw that Jamie and Tyler figured their things out and that Tyler was okay everything was pretty much back to normal. Tyler was proud of himself in that field.

+++

Before the preseason started Jamie, as the captain, hosted in his house the annual "let's get the season started" BBQ. It was nice and pretty normal like every year. The only problem was that Tyler had with it been that every year he was one of the last people to leave. So when he announced that he will leave early this year it raised suspicion. And considering the offseason the team didn't really let him leave their eyesight. 

It was granted, and he kind of understood where they are coming from but he really did have to leave early. So, after 3 hours he went back to his house. He wanted to make sure that everything was ready and perfect. His nerves went up a notch the more he waited but it was fine.

Around midnight he heard his doorbell ring and he pretty much sprinted to the door. When he opened the door his first reaction was "What are you doing here?"   
Jamie was standing in front of his door, and he was definitely not the one he waited for.

"I wanted to check up on you. To make sure you're okay." Jamie confusedly answered. Tyler needed to get rid of him quickly so he nodded and reassured him that he indeed was okay. But then Jamie asked to come in. Tyler wasn't that rude and Jamie looked like he wasn't going to take no for an answer, so Tyler internally sighed and let him in.

Jamie was persistent about wanting to find out what is up with him. Tyler kept his answers short and vague, but projected vibes of "there's nothing to worry about". He wanted to kick Jamie out of his house so he hoped that it will show him that everything is fine and that he'll leave. Of course nothing ever goes Tyler's way. The doorbell was heard again and she was in front of him when he opened it.

"Hi" she said awkwardly while she entered his entryway. He matched her hi with an awkward "Hi" of his own. He helped her with her bags and closed behind them the door. He could feel Jamie shocked face burning through his back. He didn't want to look at him but he had to. He turned around and with his most confident voice told him.

"This is Emma. She is going to live here for a while."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can reach me at my Tumblr [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr. You can check it [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/post/179727307398/he-knew-he-fucked-up-part-3)

The word about this girl Emma spread rather quickly among the team. But Tyler didn't talk about it. The closest to an explanation was: "Her name is Emma, we met in the offseason and she's going to live with me for a while". And that was it. Tyler never gave extended explanation to any of them.

Jamie didn't know how to feel about it. Tyler was out of reach for months. No one knew where he went to. The only news that they got was from Tyler's family, and it said that he was fine and by the end of the offseason he would be back in Dallas like always. And he did just that. But honestly the all team expected Tyler to be kind of broken. They didn't expect him to be this normal. Jamie in particular was ready for the cold shoulder during the season like in the offseason, but it never came. It was pretty much like every start of season. And that was concerning.

However, now all of a sudden there this unknown girl, which Tyler allegedly met during the offseason. And Jamie can honestly say that whatever the deal between the two of them, he is pretty sure they not dating, or screwing for the matter. He may not know what their deal is, but he knows Tyler. And Tyler was broken after the breakup, broken enough to be out of sight for a few months, and there's no way he moved on.

Jamie wanted answers and to have a real conversation with Tyler, so they would put what happened last season behind them and to get a little insight to one of his best friends. Because of the situation among them he kept his distance up until this point, sending other teammates on Tyler's way, but he knew that now was his time.

+++

He was at Tyler's front door at noon on a weekday, when he knew that Tyler's schedule was open free. He figured that the best approach was to swing by unannounced so Tyler wouldn't have a way out of this conversation. They needed to talk, and they needed to talk badly. The preseason ended, and they can't postpone it to after the season opener. 

He knocked on the front door and waited patiently. It took a few seconds for the door to open, but who greeted him wasn't Tyler, it was Emma, the present that can't be part of their conversation. He could see her surprise in her face. At least until she scolded her face into a neutral one. They stood like that frozen for a few seconds before she asked him if he needed everything. The sentence's phrasing rubbed him the wrong way, it made him feel like she had a personal problem with him. And because they didn't know each other it made him fear that Tyler still hadn't forgave him, and she got the memo. 

When he told her he needed to speak to Tyler, she brought the one flaw that hadn't occurred to him- Tyler wasn't home. When Jamie asked her where he was and when he was due to return, she shrugged and said that he went to the dog's park, so it probably wouldn't be long. And this was how he was forced into this awkward 40 minute wait with a total stranger at Tyler's house.

Apparently she was just about to eat lunch so they ate together, in mostly companion silence. During the meal he actually had time to take a close look at her. He saw her only once before, when she first got to Tyler's house, but he mostly fled the house as soon as possible after her arrival. Now he was able to notice more of her other than those winter clothes she was wearing at the time. She was a bit taller than Tyler ex, but not by a lot. Her hair was this fiery red that goes well with her slightly fair skin. She had green eyes, and not this huge chest but a proportional chest that matches her body. And yeah, he could see the appeal in her. 

The dinner wasn't a complete waste of time because he did manage to get the story of how she and Tyler met. They met a bar in her hometown, an unheard off town in Tennessee. Turns out Tyler did an extensive road trips and when he left her hometown she came with him. And about what she's doing here, at his house, was that turns out she just got fired from her job and she needed a fresh start. So Tyler offered her to stay with him at the moment, and she took it. 

This little insight did calm Jamie a bit, especially when he found out that she doesn't follow hockey at all, and had no idea that the Tyler she spend her days with was a professional athlete. But once again it made him wonder what the deal is between the two of them. He knows Tyler, and yeah he can be reckless and spontaneous. However, to go on a cross countries road trip with a total stranger, and then let them move in with you just because they wanted a fresh start sounded a bit of a stretch.

+++

When Tyler eventually returned, it accompanied with three dogs that as soon as they saw Jamie, ran for him. He couldn't miss the fact that all of them at some point moved to Emma also. They seemed comfortable around her, like they liked her and known her forever. Tyler seemed a bit alarmed and taken by surprise by Jamie. Jamie could not ignore this reaction, and taken a bit of a personal offence. It was another evidence for how he hurt Tyler's trust. However, he was willing to work hard on gaining it back.

They left Emma on her own devise with the dogs and went to the game lounge. Jamie would've preferred to have this conversation without any distractions. Yet, at the same time them playing billiard calmed him a bit, let him organized his points before beginning speaking. What at last came out of his mouth was: "We need to talk".

He could see how Tyler's shoulder got tense for a few seconds as he was positioning himself to take his shot. And then he took a large exhale and his shoulders sagged the back down. Tyler took his shot, and as he managed to hit one of the balls he calmly countered with a simple "No we're not". Jamie was sick with them tip toeing around each other, so he just stepped forward and stopped Tyler from taking the next turn. He looked him dead in the eyes, with a bit of his captain voice and stated "Yes, we do need to talk. We need to really talk about where we're standing right now. And about what's the deal between you and Emma".

And that was the end of the game. They sat at the couch facing each other. Tyler was stubbornly quiet, so Jamie knew that he needed to be the bigger man and to start the conversation.

"First of all, let me lay out there what I wanted to say to you ever since it happened, I am sorry. I don't know how I let myself do what I did, and no excuse in the world can solve it. I know that I personally hurt your trust. The trust you thankfully in trusted in me rather quickly after your trade to Dallas. So, I'm willing to work hard in order to regain it again".

All through this little speech Tyler's eyes were stuck to the floor. At the end of the speech they finally looked at Jamie's. For a good minute there was a silence between the two of them. Jamie patiently waited for Tyler to articulate the obvious response that running through his head. At the end the response was just above whisper, yet at the same time clear as day. 

"Look, I'm sorry too. Okay? I know my reaction was kind of irresponsible and a bit childish. But I reacted the way I did because I didn't want to make things worse. I needed to make sure that I was totally fine in order to not drag the whole team through the mud because of my situation. And you see me here, so I got over it. We're cool. I don't blame you or angry at you."

At Tyler's first pause Jamie exploited the opportunity to put on the table some reassuring. "Your reaction wasn't childish. I know that what happened hurt you. Plus, there was no criticism about your reaction from the team. We were all worried that's all."

Tyler had a little smile while answering with "I know. I just needed some time alone in order to cool down. So, please tell the team later that I'm good. I hate the way they look at me sometimes".

Jamie knew that this conversation was the last seal of approval for the little drama between them. So in order to not rock the water so soon afterwards he let Tyler shift them back to the game. After 3 games, which Jamie only won one of them so he was sure Tyler was in high spirits, he went for the kill. "We need to talk about your situation with Emma". As he moved to the coach he heard clear as day a little "Of course we have to". But, Tyler complied and followed him along to the couch.

This conversation was trickier than the other. He needed to ask the right question in order to make Tyler play along. That was why he couldn't ask him what the hell was wrong with him by letting a total stranger to move in with him. He needed to disguise it with a different question. Eventually he went with "So, some girl you mat during the summer moved in with you". His eyes were on Tyler the all time, so he caught the lung consuming inhale of Tyler.

"Yep".

That was the only response Jamie got out of Tyler. Tyler didn't seem apologetic, or compelled to explain himself. It was such a typical Tyler sort of reaction that before Jamie noticed it he was laughing. Like this uncharacteristic loud and never ending one that pulled Tyler right into a fitting laugh as well. At the end he said a simple "Fuck you". And that seemed to do the trick. Tyler's face was earnest and honest when he opened his mouth.

"Look, there's a reason behind her crashing in here for an indistinct time period. But, I'm not going to tell you about it, and anyone else for the matter. She's a good person, and you can trust her. I'm fine with her, and she's fine with me. So leave it alone."

For some unknown reason Jamie ignored the shouting voice in his head to push for more information, and he accepted Tyler's answer. Tyler was a responsible adult, and if he told him to have a little faith in him, Jamie could do just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can reach me on Tumblr [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr. You can check it [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/post/185429599423/he-knew-he-fucked-up-part-4)
> 
> There is an aditional tag\warning in the end's notes, if you want to know priar to reading the chapter.

Later that day, while Tyler was showering he contemplated how to notify Emma about his conversation with Jamie. And then he remembered that tomorrow they don't have an early morning skate, meaning he can fall asleep late. So, once he was dressed with his sleeping clothes (an old T-shirt and basketball shorts), he knocked on Emma's room. She was after a shower as well, dressed in her PJs so he felt comfortable asking her if it's okay for them to do their thing tonight.

When Emma agreed to it with the request to have a few minutes to finish some stuff in her room, he went to his room. He was kind of nervous. They did it a few times during the offseason, but ever since Emma came to Dallas they hadn't really got around to it. They did it only the night after Emma came to Dallas.

So to calm himself down he lay on his bed and kept his mind as blank as possible. Eventually there was a soft knock, followed by the familiar figure entering his room. Beforehand he left space for her on her proclaimed side of the bed (which thankfully wasn't his preferred side of the bed), so he waited until she dutifully set down on the bed.

Once she was situated on her side he switched off the lights, leaving them without any artificial lights. Some light casted upon them from the open window. However Tyler was preoccupied with staring at the ceiling. Without watching Emma he knew that she was doing the same thing. And with that in mind he felt confident enough to start.

"So Jamie popped in for a visit". His voice was kind of void of emotions, but Emma's wary "I know, I was present", gave him the extra push to talk about it.

"He wanted to talk about us, about the relations between you and me".

He sensed Emma's uncontrolled breathing for a few agonizing seconds until she calmed down. 

"Did you tell him?" Emma asked with a strong voice.

Tyler still stared at the ceiling, wishing he was able to hold his voice as stable as Emma's was. Since the beginning they agreed to be completely honest with one another during those times, at the dark lacking any eye contact.

"Last time we agreed on not telling anyone what's the deal among us, so no I hadn't told him. I just asked him to trust me and leave it be".

He waited to an answer, some kind of reaction, yet nothing came from his right. 

"Come on, say something please." The pleading clear as day, so Emma tool pity at him and followed his request.

"Do you want to tell him? Or anyone else for that matter?"

The urge to get up and look dead at her eyes was overwhelming. The following minute he just aggressively breathed in and out to calm himself enough. When he continued the conversation, he was still restless enough so there was this extra edge to his saying. But at the same time he didn't really care.

"What do you want me to say?! Something along the lines of 'Hey, so last year, after we missed the playoff yet again, I caught my girlfriend of eight months and my captain who is also one of my closest friends sleeping together, which led to me basically running away for the summer. And on one of those nights where I was drunk off my ass and feeling sorry for myself I accidently married a complete stranger'. Yeah, because this would end well, you're right".

This little outburst left them in this uncomfortable silence. Tyler was already starting to regret his words, but he felt so much worse once Emma followed it up with her reaction.

"I wasn't the only one who was against divorcing right away".

And of course Emma was right. The day after their drunken mistake, once they found out what they did, they went to this diner who served great waffles. There they stayed at the far booth that gave them some sort of privacy, for approximately 3 hours and just talked about their situation and their next step from there.

Prior to their conversation in the diner they never really talked to each other. They basically partied together, slept together, dealt with their hangovers and repeated it the following day. And Tyler enjoyed that at the time, Emma was fine and helped him with his avoiding and with the not thinking about his fucked up state. He knew somewhere inside that Emma was dealing with a fucked up issue of her own, but he didn't press on her. He wasn't ready to deal with the real world yet.

They lived in a blissful drunken bubble for a whole month before they had to ruin it. And at the diner, who was during this month their sole provider of breakfast food to deal with their raging hangovers, they started to talk to one another for the first time. They started with telling the other on the fucked situation that led them to this exact moment. After this sucky part they told each other their personal opinion on marriage in general. They both believed in the idea of marriage and agreed that they think that it was a shame that they married each other instead of a person that at the very least they were in love in.

When they came to the part of dealing the situation, it took a longer time. Tyler internally was reluctant to mention the possibility of a divorce, aware that it was possible that Emma would be a greedy stranger who would take half of his hard fought money. But they had to talk about it, so he was the first one to mention it. In whole honesty he could've admitted that the hurt face which found its way to her face after his question was one of the reasons why he agreed to give it a chance.

The second reason was the fact that Emma told him that when she was a baby her dad left her and her mother, resulting in her never knowing her father. It also made her be really adamant about being against a divorce. Tyler's honest first reaction was an internal frustrated sigh and an eye roll. But then he felt that it was only fair that he would share the truth about himself as well. So he talked to her about his personal experience with divorce and how he was kind of against divorcing before the pair was sure that they did everything they could to work their problems out. 

When he finished his story they looked at each other and knew that they were doing it, they were giving this a chance. 

+++

In the morning he woke up before Emma, so he slipped out of bed as quietly as he could managed and after brushing his teeth, went down to the kitchen. Tyler knew that he was pretty disastrous in the kitchen, but he could at least make a decent breakfast. He was almost at the end of his "I'm sorry" breakfast by the time Emma got down to the kitchen.

Once he finished and they set around the kitchen's island they started to eat in an awkward silence. Throughout their eating Tyler stole glances at Emma. He knew her enough to know that she was still angry at him. So he waited until she finished with her plate to start the apology. On his plate was still have of his omelet, but he didn't care in the slightest. 

"I wanted to apologize about last night, I never wanted to accuse you on anything and I'm not angry that we decided to give us a chance, we together decided it. But, I do need to be honest with you, so what does frustrate me is the way the team is treating me, and as a direct result to you. And the only one I get to blame about this situated is me, and me myself".

Emma's face was softer and understanding when she said to him "I accept your apology. And I am sorry that there is nothing I could do to help you with it. I know that my present is part of the problem of you with your friends as well, even if you don't want to admit it".

Tyler sighed about the last comment, but the both of them pretty much were letting it slide, so he continued to the next topic.

"On a more positive note, I think that finally things between me and Jamie are going to be okay. We talked about it in more honesty than previous times, so I think that now we are going to put last season behind us for good".

With that indeed Emma was happier. But still she had to ask him if he was sure that he was cool with Jamie despite what he did last year. Tyler took a moment to look deep at his heart until he was sure with his answer.

"Yeah, I was ready to forgive him, and he was ready to forgive himself".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additonal Tag\warning for this chapter: Drunk Marriage. 
> 
> You can reach me on Tumblr [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between this chapter and the previous one I was on a haitus. I posted a post about it and the reason for it. I strongly recommend to read it. It gives you a good explanation about the work's origin and direction. you could find it [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/post/189418511718/he-knew-he-fucked-up-series-update).   
> Following the hiatus the chapters are quite different. 
> 
> Originally posted on Tumblr. You could find it [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/post/190604354108/he-knew-he-fucked-up-part-5)

Jamie woke up early, much earlier, than what was expected out of him on the morning of the season opener. He tried to fall back asleep once he saw the time. Yet the same nervous energy which woke him up, now has kept him wide awake. He tried to switch positions while breathing calmly and keeping his mind as blank as possible. Half an hour later he gave up and started doing what he always did when he couldn't fall asleep- strategize about his next move in life while reading his "To Do List/ Improvements in Life" note.

He started writing the list shortly after Tyler caught him sleeping with Tyler's then girlfriend of eleven months- Zoe. His memories of that night weren't the greatest. What were kept however played nonstop in his mind, like game highlights.

First was the text he got from his ex-girlfriend- Julie, telling him to go grab his remaining stuff from her place. That text infuriated him so much, and he still loved her so much that he didn't want to think for the rest of the night. 

The next picture was of Zoe in front of him, trying to counsel his sad drunk ass. From that it jumped to him kissing Zoe, desperately, like it would help him get over the situation in his life.

The next moment was the most important part, the part that had haunted him for months ever since. He remembered still being busy with Zoe, feeling good while doing it when suddenly he felt Zoe tensing all over. Concerned, he searched her face for any clue as to what was wrong. However her face was white as a sheet and stuck in the direction of the door. So he followed her gaze, and caught Tyler's frame.

For a few seconds, which felt like forever, all three of them were stuck exactly as they were while remaining eye contact. He stared at Tyler's face as his eyes started watering, his face stuck between hurt and sad. Then, Tyler's sudden movement of turning around and without a single word just walking away broke the spell. In seconds Zoe grabbed the blanket that was set aside, covered her body and followed Tyler's footsteps. Jamie remembered Lying in his bed, hearing the front door slammed and thinking of a word to summarize the situation- "Fuck".

Following the faithful day Jamie was unable to set foot in his own bedroom for months without feeling like the scum of the earth. So in response he just sort of moved to his guest bedroom. The guest bedroom wasn't as comfortable as his own room, so he had problems sleeping. On one of those sleepless nights he just took a look at his entire life, critiquing every habit he had and thought about a way to improve. When he finished with it he wrote the list of what he needed to immediately do in his life. 

Now, on this fine morning he contemplated his next move. The first thing on his list he already scratched. He took his time to be sure that it was done before scratching it, but during the team's rush in preparation for the season Jamie was sure that he indeed solved the situation among them.

The next thing wasn't so easy. He stared at the "Moving to a new place" with self-doubt on whether he would follow suit on it. At the time of writing the list he knew that this house would forever remind him of his mistake, and in order to improve and be better he needed to forgive himself and move on. The problem with that was that Jamie was a hockey player- he liked to keep a grudge and he liked self-inflicted torture.

The last few days were filled with practices and preparations for the season, but it was also filled with lots of staring at the list and even of getting a phone number of a good realtor from a friend. Yet, he still hadn't made the call.

He stayed in bed until he had to get up. He ate breakfast and got ready for practice. At the rink he tried to be focused solely on the present and the game later on the day. He liked their team and was excited for the season. On his way back from the rink he decided to call the realtor in a matter of days, if they would win.

They lost.

Jamie was already mentally prepared for the phone call with the realtor, so he bet once again on the same deal on their second game of the season.

They lost again.

Following the lost, his superstitious side screamed at him for jinxing the games. So he decided to make the fucking call on the two days leading the next game.

+++

When he got off the phone call with Joanne River, a realtor from some popular real estate company, he needed a minute to chill. Just from this phone call alone he knew that she wasn't messing around. She orchestrated a full on conversation with him, including building a solid game-plan which took in notice their individual schedules, while preparing what he assumed was a house for visitors.

He was kind of intimidated by her however he was happy that she agreed to help him. She told him that for the next week and a half she would be too preoccupied to really draft him houses and places to check. Yet after that she would be free to seriously work on it and to send him whatever she'd find.

So he just moved on, focusing on the season. They won more than once and he was happy. He also tried to stay away from Seggy's business. They were friends again, and things were fine on the ice. However, Segs told him to trust him and not look into his whole situation with Emma, so he did just that. Everything he heard thus far on Emma and Tyler wasn't much. Mostly about how Emma was currently looking for a job as an accountant and if anyone on the team heard something they need to report to Segs about it. Apart from that the guys started to chirp Tyler about his and Emma's weekly "Date night". Tyler never denied the allegations so Jamie assumed it was true. Deep inside Jamie stuck to the mantra "As long as Tyler's happy, I'm happy" and hoped for the best.

+++

True to her word Joanne started to flood his e-mail with listing for whole sorts of houses. At first he felt overwhelmed by the never-ending list of potential new places, but then he and Joanne entered this smooth groove of her sending him an option, him telling her what he liked or disliked about the place, and her sending adjusted options. Finally they drafted a solid list of places for them to check in person after the "Canada Trip".

The trip ended up being a bit disappointing, but he was still pumped about the houses.

Every single house was a bust, well not a total bust, yet he wasn't fully sold on any of them. So they started their second draft of houses for him to check.

+++

At a team dinner in Florida, during a random pause around the table Spezz asked Jamie about the house hunt. Well more specifically on whether he liked the house on Spezz's neighborhood (Jamie asked him about the area). 

He was about to answer Jason, who sat two seats beside him, when Tyler asked "You're moving out?"

Tyler shot him this unexplained betrayed look that Jamie didn't know how to interpret. Eventually he shot a dismissed answer along the likes of "Yeah, got tired of my house". That time he didn't wait for an answer and just turn to answer the original question. For the rest of the night he and Jason just continued to talk about the process. Tyler didn't bother him since the original brush off, but he had a feeling it wasn't finished yet.

+++

The following day there was someone at his hotel room. When he checked to see who it was he found a nervous looking Tyler waiting to be let in. Jamie had manners, so he let Segs in. Jamie wanted to stall as much as possible whatever talk Tyler wanted to have, so he just stalled the time with making the both of them a tea. He stared at the kettle, as though it would make it boil faster. During this time he could see Tyler pacing back and forth on the carpet from the angle of his eyes. Once the cups of tea were made he pushed one at the direction of Tyler and led them both to the bed. 

He knew Segs good enough to recognize that something bothered him, but he also knew him enough to know there was no point of pushing him, eventually he would tell you what he wanted to talk about.

Once Tyler opened his mouth Jamie was surprised to hear the direct question of "Are you moving away because of what happened in the summer?"

For a few seconds Jamie was at a loss for words. Then he drafted vague enough answer to not admit for the true reason. He was about to tell Tyler that when Tyler just started talking again. 

"You're about to tell me some bullshit response which I don't want to hear. So, I just want to tell you that if indeed the incident from the summer is the cause of that you shouldn't move out. I know you, and I know how you absolutely love your house. You shouldn’t punish yourself".

With hearing the last sentence's phrasing he couldn't hold himself back, and let this absurd chuckle. Once he cooled down he started to talk, knowing that he needed to be honest with Tyler.

"I would punish myself if I stayed living at the house. Ever since what happened I've been living in my guest bedroom. Apart from it being a smaller room, I have trouble sleeping soundly there. Ever since the end of the offseason, I've been in need for sleep for the sake of our jobs. So yeah, moving is a must".

He looked at Tyler with hopeful eyes, but when he saw the bothered face of Tyler he sighed, knowing he couldn't escape from it, and continued with the explanation.

"Also, I want to be a better person, the kind that would never act the way I did. One of the steps I have to do in order to follow that is to move on and forgive myself. It's hard to do so when I live at the scene of the crime day in and day out. That's why I'm moving out- for my sake and not yours".

Tyler looked relaxed with Jamie's reasoning, yet he still looked bothered and like he had something important to say. Jamie was embracing himself for it, but after a long moment Segs just stood up, gave Jamie a noogie and told him in his most sincere voice "You're already a good person" and left the room. Jamie was stuck in his place for a long moment, trying to interpret what this reaction was. At last he decided to see it as Tyler's unique way of showing his support and approval, and Jamie was happy with it. Then he started to get ready for bed, and looked forward their next game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can reach me on Tumblr [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/)


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr. You could check it [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/post/612094156698976256/he-knew-he-fucked-up-part-6)

At the summer, right after Emma and Tyler decided to give this marriage a chance, they decided on a game-plan. As a cause of that by the time Emma moved in with Tyler most of the logistical and technical issues had already been taken care of. In Tyler's case the most important parts were to let management know about the marriage and checking with the legal department how his marriage to an American citizen affected his work visa. In addition he and Emma made sure to set up a prenup with their respective lawyers.

That game-plan was efficient and helpful with all the logistical stuff. But it wasn't really helpful with making each of them get over their last relationship (which Tyler was surprised to find out was also because of cheating in Emma's case) and with helping them fall in love with one another.

In that regard they got to an agreement in which first they needed to become friends and only then try the romantic part. Their philosophy in the journey to friendship was to be joined at the hip and do as many things together. They watched movies and TV shows, dud joint meals, and every other activity they could think of. With each activity they tried to find as many talking topics as they possibly could. Just before them starting to forcibly hanging out together Tyler was sure they would fail miserably and give up after one week. But he was surprised to discover it wasn't a total fail. He and Emma had similar taste in movies so they mostly stuck to that. Plus with him helping Emma with the job hunt and her interest to learn about hockey he started to have a sliver of hope that this could actually work.

During the preseason, while Emma got to taste a mock version of the NHL season's schedule, she decided that once a week they would hold a date-night or skype dates for when he was on the road. Tyler had agreed to it, even to Emma's insistence on every week someone else would plan the date. They mostly stuck to easy-going dates where they had plenty of opportunities to talk. Tyler's favorite date was the one he was in charge of- miniature golf. Tyler mostly picked that one because it contained light-natured contest. However, during the game he found out that Emma had some serious golf game. Apparently she was used to golf and miniature golf with her mother.

+++

When the final buzzer was played at Colorado, cementing their three to nothing loss, he was done with the world. He felt like since the start of the season they hadn't really succeeded in playing consistently, too many losing streak-winning steak-losing streak for him to be happy and secure in their play. He hated that feeling. He wanted to find this stride for their team, for their play.

During the flight home he ignored the rest while playing too loud music in his earpieces and staring stoically out the window. It was a night flight so there wasn't much view to look at but it didn't matter to him. Sometime after the departure he felt so frustrated and agitated he couldn't sit steal at his seat. So, he tried to distract himself.

As he tried to think of a distraction he remembered that tomorrow was Emma's turn to plan a date, and he perked right away. The majority of her dates consisted of staying at home while doing some fun activity, so Tyler tried to guess what they'll be doing this time. Tyler didn't mind them staying at home, plus he wasn't oblivious to the fact that him being a somewhat public figure weirded Emma a bit. The first time Emma saw someone approach him and ask for an autograph she got kind of quiet and weird. Tyler couldn’t blame her for said reaction one bit, him being a professional athlete did have an impact on the relationship and she didn't sign up for it when she accidentally married him. 

In addition she told him about her ex, about how he was smart, educated and worked at the same company of hers- in the HR department. In short the complete opposite of Tyler in every shape of form. When she told him about how they got engaged after two years of dating, he kind of feared to hear the rest of the story. Emma already had tears in her eyes so he reminded her that she didn't have to confess to him about what happened to her and her ex. Yet she insisted, mentioning how if they were about to live together she felt obligated to inform him of her damage. Then she continued to tell him about how she caught him cheating on her three months prior to the wedding. Tyler told her about his cheating story only to show her she wasn't alone, but he knew that what he felt wasn't even close to her hurt and betrayal from the person she was about to spent the rest of her life with.

+++

With him returning home so late at night he missed Emma the next morning, with her going to work. It was only her second week working at some tech company he hadn't really heard of before, and they were still at the transition phase where they hadn't aligned their schedules perfectly. It was an off day for Tyler and with only planned plan was for the evening. Tyler took his time and chilled around the house.

Around four pm he heard Emma's voice call out for him. She sounded kind of strange so he hurried to check up on her. Once he saw her he wasn't surprised of her voice. She was carrying lots of begs to the kitchen, to the amount that Tyler was caught starring incredulously. 

"Don't just stare at me. There are still a few bags in my car, so go get them".

That did the trick and Tyler hurried to fill out her request. Once Emma finished stocking the fridge and freezer to the brim she was finally available for him to ask "Did you rob a grocery store?"

Tyler still felt one step behind, especially when Emma just shrugged and perkily said "No, I paid for it".

He was still left to stare at her when suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"Are you cooking us a homemade meal?"

Emma mentioned in passing to him once about her love of cooking, and indeed she cooked a few time since moving in. However it was never at that scale. Emma looked at him with a predatory look and replied with "No, I'm not cooing us a meal…"

Tyler felt a bit disappointed, well until he heard the rest of her sentence.

"…You're cooking us a meal".

With that Tyler couldn't resist himself and just burst out laughing. He was so out of it, laughing so hard he was crying and in passing missed Emma's displeased expression. That's why the second he recollected himself she started explaining herself with an undertone of anger.

"Yesterday I had some free time before your game so I went to YouTube. You know what I had in the suggestions?"

Emma looked at him expectedly so he tried to think of an answer that prevented her from getting angrier. Eventually he settled on "A cooking show?"

Emma shook her head disappointedly and Tyler couldn't stop himself from feeling bad, even though he wasn't a magician and couldn't read minds.

"Close but no. I was suggested the new episode of Puck personality".

She stopped once again for Tyler to connect the dots himself. However when he was filmed for the show he did like five or six episode in a row. So he couldn't name you which episode was uploaded now or his answer in said episode. He just decided to stare blankly at Emma until she would feel gracious enough to tell him what he told the makers of the video a few months ago. It did the trick eventually and Emma continued.

"The episode was about what's the best dish you could make. You know what you said?"

It was such an accusing question and he felt bad answering honestly with "I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich".

"Exactly! And this is why we are changing it. A grown man in his twenties needs to know how to make some basic things".

With hearing Emma's plan, and more accurately her determined and excited tone, something inside of him stirred. He tried to sound unaffected and cool while asking "You're going to teach me how to cook?" but he was pretty sure he failed miserably judging by the huge smile that happen to appear on Emma's face.

"You know it. So here's the deal- today's date in going to be a homemade meal which we cook together. I'm going to walk us through each step of the way and you're going to listen. Later we'll of course enjoy eating said meal. However, one cooking session would not be enough, so in addition to date night we're going to have a cooking night. As time would progress you'll be in charge of the meal solely. You accept the deal?"

Tyler waited all of three seconds to agree on it.

+++

At the end of dinner Tyler was stuffed to the brim. Emma let him be in charge of the mash potatoes and the chicken, which wasn't much but it was a start. It was late evening when they were done with the date so Tyler felt comfortable suggesting they'd watch a bit of television. They didn't really focus on the show, mostly trying to compare their schedules and find a proper time for a follow up cooking class. Emma told him that next time he was in charge of the main course. Tyler wasn't that confident in his skills, but he indeed was eager to try.

+++

The off day must've done something good because it led them to a five game winning streak, the biggest they had yet. During that streak he and Emma had a chance for the promised follow up. Emma was nice enough to write him a list of instruction for all the recipes. The main course was some kind of all in one pot so there were high stakes on his shoulders. In the end it turned out he messed up with the seasoning and overcooked it just a bit. It was still edible, just not as good as it could've been.

At the middle of dinner, once Tyler told Emma how he felt guilty for making them eat for the next few days his cooked meals Emma suggested the perfect solution- To invite some guys on the team to have dinner with them. Emma also wanted to make advantage of that setting to get to know the team and their significant others.

+++

After the first meal where he invited the rookies, figuring they'd be desperate enough to company and free meal that they would not have high demands, the rumor of him hosting meals at his house in an attempt to cook got to everyone on the team. After many of the older guys' first-hand experience with Tyler's abysmal cooking abilities, the only reason they booked themselves a night for those dinners (Rads made a sign-up sheet and forwarded them to everyone's mail of the team). Each of them tried to insist on their urge to cheer him on, but he wasn't fooled, it was for the prime chirp material. However Tyler didn't care, in the end of the day there were participants in the dinners and he was proud of himself.

+++

After yet another losing streak they were at New York, playing against the Rangers and the Islanders. They had an off day between the two games so the team went to a fine restaurant for team dinner. Jamie and Tyler ended up sitting side by side, which was fine with Tyler. The team laughed and talked until the food was brought up to the table. Then they spent the next five minutes quietly trying their respective meals. Tyler ordered salmon with rice and a salad, so he was enjoying the fish when from beside him he heard Jamie moaning on his bite from his stake and mash potatoes combo. That wasn't unordinary considering the fact that Jamie was a stake-loving person. What was unexpected was the fact that afterward he told Tyler, loud enough for the rest of the table to hear him as well, how he expected a nice rear stake with mash potatoes on the side on his turn of dinner meal at Tyler's house.

That remark caught him off guard, as of the fact that Jamie didn't sign up for any opening in Rad's signing sheet. However his confusion hadn't bothered anyone else at the table and it set them off for another chirp rant on Tyler's cooking and demands of their own. Tyler was a master of being the bigger man when it came to chirping, so he just laughed right back and proclaimed they needed to thank him for gracing them with his food. Afterwards he immediately turned to Jamie and told him frankly "For you to eat anything at my house you first need to sign up for a meal".

Jamie's cheeks turned red quickly but his smile wasn't affected by the statement. He just shot right back "As your best friend on your team you can't expect me to dine at the fine establishment whose also known as your house with other players of the team".

Tyler, and the rest, just doubled over from the silliness of this comment but he went along with it and told him that a personal reservation would be included at the establishment's log. From there the conversation took a turn for the game they had last night and Tyler happily returned to his meal.

When they finished with the meal some of the team decided to go explore the place a little more. They were a group of eight so they segregated to pairs and set of threes during the walk. Tyler was happy that he and Jamie were still side by side because he felt like it was a good time to ask Jamie about his house hunt.

Originally when Jamie told him why he was moving Tyler wanted to protest. He still believed that eventually Jamie would've returned to his bedroom and for go about the move. Yet he was supportive and not voiced his opinion. He also wanted to apologize for his reaction that faithful day. He was aware for the fact that if he hadn't fled the house and dropped out of the face of the earth Jamie would've been better now.

Tyler stepped out of his contemplation when Jamie started to tell him about the process. Jamie in general liked to be calculating and sure in every decision he made in life, and that decision was no exception. For the rest of the walk he went into a rent about how he still hadn't found what he was looking for, with many examples from houses he checked out. Also every couple of seconds he tipped off his hat and credited his realtor- Joanne.

At the restaurant Jamie may joked while telling everyone that he was Tyler's best friend off the team, yet it was true. Despite what happened in the summer Jamie was still Tyler's best friend and closest friend off the team. And Tyler was Jamie's best friend off the team as well (he was promoted to that position after Jordie's trade). So, Tyler knew the difference between Jamie being nice and professional to Jamie being nice and affectionate. Every time that Jamie would mention something she'd done there would be a soft smile on his face. Tyler knew from past experience that Jamie's "I like her" smile was involuntary so he didn't even bother to refer to it. However he was curious enough to ask "So, are you planning to make a move?" 

To that Jamie stopped dead in his tracks, forcing Tyler to stop as well. They stared at each other for a few seconds, until Jamie opened his mouth.

"I literally don't know what you talk about, so no, I'm not planning to make a move or whatever".

Tyler took an assessed look at Jamie, focusing on his weak spot while lying- his shoulders. He saw how tensed they were and realized that Jamie was lying through his teeth. A flare of hurt made him lash out with a "Dude, I know you too well to not recognize when you're lying. If you don't want to make a move or whatever it's fine by me, but not pretend like I'm not aware of when you find someone you like".

When Tyler stopped talking he knew that Jamie deflection bothered him more deeply than he realized. He made a mental note to examine it once he returned home, maybe talking about it with Emma. Jamie apparently felt bad about it because he answered him much honestly this time.

"You're right. I shouldn't try to lie to you. I think that Joanne is intense and a bit scary but also kind of amazing. So I kind of like her, yet she is my realtor and it would be unprofessional to ask her out".

Knowing Jamie's morals and rules he knew there wasn't a point arguing about it. So he went with a different approach.

"Did you already talk with her about selling your own house after you buy the new one?"

He knew he caught Jamie off guard when he got a doubtful "Not yet, I wanted to find a new place first".

Tyler was happy to hear it because then he cheerily told Jamie "You can only use her service with finding a new place. And use another realtor, even one she recommend you of, to sell your current house. That's way once you bought the new house and all the paper work is done you no longer be using her services so you could ask her out".

Once Tyler finished with his suggestion he waited for Jamie's answer. He recognized how Jamie was a bit mind blown by the suggestion, one that was closed for him all this time. Eventually after a long while Jamie hesitantly opened his mouth. Tyler wasn't really eager to hear the answer, so he was quick to butt in.

"It's just a suggestion. You don't have to do something you feel uncomfortable with. However, I wanted you to know that it was nice seeing you happy again. It's been awhile since Julie and you're allowed to be happy. No pressure but think thoroughly about what you're going to do".

Jamie took those words in and just nodded his head contently. Tyler was satisfied with that reaction so he dropped the conversation entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can reach me on Tumblr [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr. You could check it on [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/post/615761019392966656/he-knew-he-fucked-up-part-7)

Since the talk with Tyler the seed had been planted and he became more and more open to the idea of using Joanne's services only for the purchase of the new house, and be guilt free when asking her out later. However every time he winded up thinking about it, it made him feel like a shallow person who use loopholes in order to harass someone who somewhat works for him. In result of that guilty feeling at the pit of his stomach, he decided to talk about the situation with Darth sometime during the Christmas break. His older brother knew him well enough to give good advice, yet live far enough on a regular basis, so he was able to give an objective opinion.

Once he knew that he wanted to talk it through with Jordie he was impatient and eager to go on with it. However he still had a bit of a common sense left, and realized by himself that he can't steal Jordie right away from their family while they wanted to catch up with the both of them. What he ended up settle on was that their first day would be with the family, and on their second day back home he would get the chance to have a little one on one chat with Jordie. When he sensed an opportunity for their talk (when their mom went for a nap and their dad was at work) he just led Jordie to his childhood bedroom. He was hesitant for like two seconds about how to start off the conversation. Yet apparently it was one second too late, because Darth already started talking.

"Chubbs, before you die out of self-doubt I would like to say that I agree with Tyler. If you like her and no longer hires her, then you do nothing wrong with just asking her out. She could always say no, and you are gentleman enough to know that no means no. So I don't see any harm in it".

When Darth stopped talking he looked expectedly at his younger brother, waiting for an answer or some sort of typical lecture of Jamie's set of codes. Yet, Jamie was too busy processing the fact that Tyler kept his older brother posted. At last he came up with the articulated response of "You knew about my situation in Dallas?"

To that he heard a familiar voice, that he may or may not was too fond of, saying "What, about your crash on Joanne the realtor? Yeah, Segs gave me a heads up for an incoming heart-to-heart talk over the Christmas break".

After hearing that, his insides filled with happiness from how his bros were looking out for him. However he tried to push it away, just for a few seconds, in order to press Jordie for his real advice on the situation. His brother saw how much he counted on this answer so Jordie gave him a much more serious answer.

"Honestly, I haven't met her yet, but from what I heard about her from you and Seggy I approve. Furthermore, I know that after what happened with Julie you were a mess. And the incident over the summer hadn't helped.

But, you are better now, and things between Tyler and you are better now. There's no reason for you to keep punishing yourself. You are allowed to be happy".

Jamie felt so much better after hearing his brother's advice. Now he knew for sure that he would ask her out after the house buying process would be behind them. Once he told Jordie his final verdict he was sure that they could stray to another subject, like their seasons thus far, however he stopped when he spotted Jordie's worried face. He asked tentatively what matter was, once it was clear that Jordie wasn't going to explain himself.

Even after the question it took eternity for his brother to answer. However at last he answered with a simple "What did you say her last name was?"

Jamie was expecting some major bad news, so the question kind of landed out of left field. It took him a few speculative seconds of trying to figure out the question's motive before answering "River, Joanne River. Why?"

Jordie didn't acknowledge the question. He just started firing off a set of confusing and ridiculous questions such as "Is she sarcastic and judgmental?" Throughout the interrogation Darth remained with the same seriousness, even becoming bleaker looking as the time passed. As it exceeded from one or two question to an impressive amount of questions Jamie became more and more worried, trying to think of some reasonable explanations as to why this barrage of questions were even subjected to him. Finally he came up with the theory that Jordie met Joanne before, prior to the trade, and tried to confirm that indeed it was the same woman before warning him about her. This theory made the most sense, so he went along with it, trusting Jordie to finally tell him what was wrong. Only with the question of "Is she a bit of a fashionista?" he started to suspect what the gig was about. 

"Did you just imply that my realtor is the same person as the comedian from 'The Fashion Police'?" 

With that Jordie got his que and started laughing so loud that Jamie was worried he'd wake their mom from her nap. He didn't want Jordie to feel validated about his unfunny prank, so he just started to wait him out. Only he really under estimated his brother because not only was he still laughing a full minute after, but now he was also crying out of laughter. And that was his limit and what pushed him to fire up an angry "Could you stop being a dick?!" at his brother.

For a moment it felt like it made his situation worse, but then Jordie wiped his eyes away the tears and actually looked at Jamie and actually redeemed himself by stopping with the laugh. Once he stopped with the laughing he still had a big smile on his face, almost like he was egging him to start laughing as well. Jamie then on principle decided not to laugh (it would only encourage Jordie to continue with pranks like that in the future). From then on they started a staring contest, with neither of them willing to admit defeat. Eventually, after what felt like century, Jordie started talking (which meant that Jamie totally won the battle).

"I'm sorry, okay? It just accord to me that her name is awfully close to the name of Joan Rivers, the comedian, so I decided to have some fun. And if you weren't lame unlike me, you would have appreciated my joke".

Jamie was still a bit frustrated, yet he wasn't that angry anymore so he decided to throw his brother a bone.

"It would have been funnier if it weren't right after me asking you on whether I should ask her out or not. I for sure thought that you remembered like an encounter you had with her when you lived in Dallas. I was ready to hear how she was a horrible person and I should run for my life or something along those lines".

With that Jordie showed more sympathy and had a rueful smile. Then he just gave him an apologetically bro hug. Of course Jamie took it as the appropriate apology and from there they just took the conversation to another path. From than Jamie got his decisive answer and knew what was the game plan for his return to Dallas. Since the conversation he just laid back and exploited the quick vacation as much as he could.

+++

When he got back to Dallas he felt refreshed and relaxed, ready to the second half of the season. He was also ready for another round of house hunting with Joanne. He told her beforehand the dates in which he would be at Canada, for the Christmas break, fully expecting her to take a break as well. However she obviously hadn't taken the break because as he was back in Dallas, getting ready for their short trip to Minnesota, she sent him a full list of no less than ten new places to check. He was shocked and felt guilty about the off chance that maybe she thought that he expected her to work while he was gone. After a full minute of him considering with himself what to do, he finally decided to review the houses. 

He was aware that they had been for quite some time at that process, so he was not that surprised to see that on paper every single one of the houses was perfected to his set of expectations. After reviewing one last time every house she sent him info about he shot her an email where first of all he thanked her dedication and her time to still work on the house search during the holiday break and second of all his affirmation that every single house she sent him he would like to check first hand. After that Joanne just sent him a schedule for the next few days, with an expectation of his approval.

+++

As they first stepped into this particular house he knew that it was different from all the other options and previous houses he stepped in. it was a two stories, six bedroom house, and a basement, which was really nice with hardwood floors. But what really sold him about this house as opposed to all the previous options was the back yard. It was a big yard that as oppose to the pool that so many different places offer, this place had this big field full of flowers, vegetables and spices. Something about this field just fascinated him and when he asked Joanne about it she explained to him that the previous owner was a botanic who enjoyed growing his own food. He was still mesmerized and speechless with the field that Joanne started to reassure him that they could get rid of it if he indeed purchases this house. That remark took him out of his thoughts quickly and he assured her that the field is not a problem. After that he asked for another tour inside the house. At the end of the tour he was sure of himself- he wanted to live here.

The tour of the house was just before the bi-week, so it worked out lovely that they had a full week where he was fully available for any back and forth with the previous owner. And by the end of the bi-week he was the proud owner of a new home. During that said week he also did a thorough research on what it entailed to grow your vegetables and spices. Because he never thought of himself as an organic fanatic, unlike different captain of NHL teams, but as part of his plan to change a bit and become a better person he could see himself devote to that. Plus, it is a nice challenge that he could see himself winning at the end.

Once he got from Joanne the keys to his new house and the phone number of a realtor that Joanne recommended him with regard of selling the previous house he owned, he felt like it was truly possible to check where Joanne stood. He took a deep breath and stammered a long speech (much longer than he planned originally) about how he started to like her and how he would like to take her out on a date considering that they longer under professional relations. At the end of the speech he was mortified about the amount of silliness that came out of his mouth, as well as the number of details that he was pretty sure made him look and sound like a total creep.

He was too caught up in his self-hatred that he almost missed completely Joanne's positive answer. It took him a few seconds to realized what her answer was, and then he just shot her an incredulous "Are you sure?" that she just laughed to and once again told him how she was sure and was interested in giving him a chance. Jamie was pretty much on cloud nine so he was all smiles as Joanne gave him her personal cellphone number while telling him to give her a call. After that she left him alone to enjoy his new house, and he was grateful for the fact that that was the only one to see his embarrassing celebration at the entry of his new house.

+++

With the season starting back again, his process of moving out to his new house, and Joanne's packed schedules, the date of their first date was scheduled towards the end of the month. So in the meantime he just basked in the moment. They had more wins than loses thus far this month so he felt good. Plus, he once again cashed his invitation to one of Tyler and Emma meals. It was the second time that he went to Tyler's house for a meal, however this time he was finally the only guest and he didn't get to share the meal with another teammate. He was especially grateful for that because he had a lot of recent events that he wanted to share with Tyler and also he didn't want an audience for him thanking Tyler for sticking up for him. 

During said dinner, which was surprisingly tasty considered the fact that most of the food was done by Segs, they first chatted on the season and what they needed to do to improve their performance. But from there on it pretty much evolved to a chat about Jamie's escapades from the last few weeks (they both wished him luck on the fast approaching date). After they stopped talking about Jamie, Tyler and Emma's (though it was really Emma's) turn was on. Emma told him about her new job and how she was still adjusting to Dallas (yet she did admit her growing fondness for Dallas). After that she told him how they celebrated Christmas and what she did during the All-Star Week. 

At the beginning Jamie wasn't sure what exactly the deal between the two of them was or what to think of Emma. However as the season progressed, he the rest of the team saw more of Emma and got to know her better (greatly because of those said meals). And that was how they found out about her being a total sweetheart and ridiculously way too good for Tyler. Yet, they were good together, and it was kind of obvious why they were together. Of course Tyler was still a jerk and never told them that he and Emma were dating and together. Yet, considering what he put them through over the summer, they didn’t really push him to talk about it and gave him a bit of a slack. 

The rest of dinner was nice and they followed it up with a movie. By the time he went home, it was much later then he expected and he was pretty much out the second he laid his head on his pillow.

+++

On the day of their first day he woke up with a nervous energy. It was a day of morning skate followed by conditioning at the gym, so he tried to exhaust himself onto relaxation. It didn't really work, yet he did get compliments from Coach and various teammates on being a beast today. So once he got back home he spent the next few hours just relaxing while trying to boost his self-esteem. By the time he drove over to her place to pick her up to the restaurant he made a reservation at, he was pretty confident that tonight would turn out okay.

Pretty much from the get go it did. Joanne was stunning in a beautiful black dress so he was quick to compliment her. She blushed in response and told him he looked nice also. The car ride wasn't long and before they knew it they approached the restaurant. But more importantly there wasn't a second of silence. A few seconds after him picking her up she asked him about whether he phoned the realtor that she recommended him and that opened their conversation. As they were led to their table they still talked about that subject.

It was a nice place that from various teammates' recommendations he knew it was supposed to be real romantic. Once he was there himself he was really impressed by how nice the place was. They spent a few quiet minutes while scanning the menu and ordering their food. The restaurant itself mostly served Italian food, so he took ravioli while Joanne took lasagna. Once the waiter took their order they pretty quickly resumed talking.

They started with basic first date talk- where are they from originally and talks about their family. Jamie was surprised to find out that Joanne was born and raised in Dallas and her family was still living in Dallas as well. When he talked to her about his upbringing in Victoria she confessed to him about how she never left the country, and that just led to more talk about family vacations and dream destinations places. 

When the conversation of their professions came up Jamie talked first about how it was being a professional hockey player. Plus, Joanne told him that she didn't really know how the game worked ("I grew up in Texas, so shut up") so he then just had to teach her the basics of the game. Throughout the conversation it was obvious that Joanne was willing to learn, so he was optimistic. 

Once they started to focus on her job the conversation didn't die to one bit. At first Jamie asked her how she got to that business, and then from that point on she just gave him an in-depth insider on what entailed in being a realtor. Jamie liked how charismatic Joanne got once she was on a roll. With a loll in the conversation he asked curiously "What is your favorite part on the job?"

To that Joanne just watched him for a minute before she answered with a teasing comment of "You sure you want to know?"

Jamie honestly didn't care if she would start talking about the most disgusting thing in the whole world. So with what he hope would be an earnest face just nodded encouragingly. To that Joanne just nodded in an affirmative matter, took a long sip of her wine and started to answer.

"Okay, since you insisted I'm going to tell you. However, first you need a little background. I assume that you know in what realtor company I work for, considering the fact that you just used my services". 

Joanne looked at him with expectant look, obviously waiting for an answer. That was why he hurried to reassure her that he was aware of the company she worked for. Once she saw his affirmative face she started to talk again.

"Well, so originally Laviston Realtor Company started with two brothers. They started the company together in the 70's. Since then the company grew and grew to the point that the company is currently one of the main realtor companies in all of the U.S. So the company has a large number of branches if it wasn't clear, and every year the company throws a seminar to a large number of their employees. The seminar is four days long, and every year a different branch is the host. They have technically two seminars- one for the north states and one for the south states. And like every branch sent four employees, mostly from different positions, to attend the seminar. The hosting branch gets to present their accomplishments from the past year. 

Anyway, so like two years ago was the first time that I was one of the four employees out of the Dallas branch. I was so excited to go to the seminar. And let me tell you, it was really fun. It pretty much consists on lectures all day long. But only the bare minimum is work related and the rest are lectures for fun about verity of different subjects. Plus you get to travel said city after the seminar ends for the day. We were staying at a local hotel at the city and there were so many people at the seminar. I got to befriend some of them and I still talk to the majority of them till this day."

Throughout her speech she wore such a wide smile he was sure it would split her face to two. So he followed it up with "You got to go to another seminar?"

To that Joanne was quick to say "Actually this year the hosting branch is our branch, so my second would be in little less than a month. The hosting branch gets to send six employees, so I am one of them. But what would be different this year is that I was chosen out of the branch to present ourselves on the stage. I seriously can't wait for it, yet I have to be honest and admit that I am a bit nervous".

To that Jamie was quick to respond with a reassuring "I'm sure you would be great. There was a reason why they chose you to represent the branch's accomplishment out of all the other employees".  
Before they could get to a different subject the waiter came to clear their dishes that were long gone and he gave them the dessert menu. With Jamie being a professional athlete and all, they settled on a shared relatively healthy desert. 

Once they finished the desert they asked for the check and left the restaurant. The following day was a game day for Jamie, meaning a morning skate, so they kind of hopped in the car relatively quickly. During the drive to Joanne's place there wasn't much talking, but it wasn't an awkward silence kind of thing. It was rather a content silence kind of thing. Once they got to Joanne's home he parked his car and chaperoned her to the door. At the front steps of her house he told her honestly "I had a good time tonight. Would you be interested in going on a second date with me?"

Joanne was quick to respond with a shy "I had a great time too. And yes, I would like to go on a second date".

Jamie smiled a little and then he just gave Joanne a chaste kiss on her cheek. When he stepped back he watched how Joanne said a final goodbye and went inside her house. He stalled for a second, before he turned around and began striding back to his car. He had the broadest smile he ever had, and went inside his car filled with great hopes for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can reach me on Tumblr [Here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr.  
> [here](https://rocohen20.tumblr.com/)


End file.
